Date Field Conventions

 

The Date field allows for two optional separator characters ("/", "\", "-", and " ") and up to eight numerical digits.

Dates can be entered using any of the following conventions:

MM/DD/YYYY MM-DD-YYYY MM DD YYYY MMDDYYYY

MM/DD/YY MM-DD-YY MM DD YY MMDDYY

MM/DD MM-DD MM DD MMDD

MDDYYYY MDDYY MDD DD

For example, to enter December 1, 2026, you could enter 12/01/26, 12/1/26, 12/1/2026, 12-01-26, 12-1-26, 120126, 12012026, 12 01 26, 12 1 26, 12 01 2026, 12/01, 12-01, 1201, 12 01, or 12 1. Leading zeros are not required when using the slash, dash, or space separator.

Entering one or two digits will display the number(s) in the day segment, using the current system date to determine the current month and year. For example, with the date field highlighted, entering "7" when the current date is 12/01/26 will change the date to "12/07/2026". This feature is available only when the date field, or day segment of the date field, is entirely highlighted, or is cleared.

The allowable date range for the software is as follows:

• The allowable date range in Tabs3 Billing and Tabs3 Financials is January 1, 1970 (01/01/1970) through December 31, 2069 (12/31/2069).
• The allowable date range in PracticeMaster is January 1, 1753 (01/01/1753) through December 31, 2199 (12/31/2199).
• Date fields in PracticeMaster Fee and Cost files will use the more limited financial date range of 01/01/1970 through 12/31/2069.
• The Date Opened field in PracticeMaster, Tabs3 Billing, and Tabs3 Trust Accounting use the extended date range of 01/01/1753 through 12/31/2199.

When entering two-digit years for the software, if the year is between "00" and "69", the software will assume the year is in the 21st century (i.e., 2000-2069). If the year is between "70" and "99", the software will assume the year is in the 20th century (i.e., 1970-1999).

Entering three, five, or seven digits will assume the month is one character (e.g., entering 121 will indicate January 21, not December 1). Entering four, six, or eight digits will assume the month is two characters.

When the system date is in December, entering a three-digit number beginning with a 1 will assume that the date entered is for the following year. The same will occur if a four-digit number beginning with 01 is entered. For example, entering 122 or 0122 when the system date is in December 2026 will indicate January 22, 2027.

Clicking the drop-down button or pressing Alt+Down-Arrow in any date field will display a Calendar window, allowing you to select the desired date.

The following keystrokes can be used in any date field. Right-clicking in a date field displays a shortcut menu that also lists the available options.

T or D	Pressing "T" (Today) or "D" (Date) in a date field will enter the computer's system date (even if a date is already present in the field).
Q or M	Pressing "Q" (QuickDate) or "M" (Date Math) in a date field will display a QuickDate Calculator window allowing you to calculate a date.
C	For date fields that allow a value of "mm/dd/yyyy", pressing "C" (Clear) will replace the current date with "mm/dd/yyyy". If the date field is highlighted, pressing Del or Backspace will remove the current date and leave the date field blank.
PgDn	Pressing "PgDn" in a date field will decrease the current month value by one. For example, pressing "PgDn" when the date reads "12/01/2026" will change the date to "11/01/2026".
PgUp	Pressing "PgUp" in a date field will increase the current month value by one. For example, pressing "PgUp" when the date reads "11/01/2026" will change the date to "12/01/2026".
+	The "+" key can be used in a date field to increase the day of the month. For example, pressing "+" when the date reads "12/10/2026" will change the date to "12/11/2026". Clicking the month, day, or year will highlight the selected segment. Pressing "+" when a segment is highlighted will increase the current value of that segment by one. For example, pressing "+" when "2026" is highlighted will increase the year to "2027".
-	The "-" key can be used anywhere in a date field to decrease the day of the month. For example, pressing "-" when the date reads "12/11/2026" will change the date to "12/10/2026". Clicking the month, day, or year will highlight the selected segment. Pressing "-" when a segment is highlighted will decrease the current value of that segment by one. For example, pressing "-" when "2027" is highlighted will decrease the year to "2026".
Up-Arrow, >, or .	Pressing the Up-Arrow, ">", or "." (period) key in a date field will increase the current day value by one. For example, pressing the Up-Arrow, ">", or "." (period) key when the date reads "12/10/2026" will change the date to "12/11/2026".
Down-Arrow, <, or ,	Pressing the Down-Arrow, "<", or "," (comma) key in a date field will decrease the current day value by one. For example, pressing the Down-Arrow, "<", or "," (comma) key when the date reads "12/11/2026" will change the date to "12/10/2026".